Krawvill
Krawvill was a country occupying the northern half of Munjang-Îue, notable for being the home of the Shinzoka. To the west lies seas unknown, and to the south occupying the remainder of the continent was the nation of Krippa. Due to the isolationist nature of the Shinzoka inhabitants, Krawvill did not see very many outsiders. Its largest and capital city was Pikas-Ozukutai, due east of the Scarlet Mountain in the province of Ozukutai, prior to its destruction by the Lakamaté during the Three Factions War. The central provinces of Ozukutai and Kofuku-Shu fell to a mysterious plague known as the Mejiye-Miri, and the remaining inhabitable provinces were annexed by the 79th Krippan Empire, rendering Krawvill to cease to exist. Geography & Climate The Sasabé Mountains keep a lot of the humidity from the north to stay in Krawvill, and its proximity to Mencu's equator helps ensure that it holds a primarily tropical climate. The only exception to this trend is the area around the mighty Scarlet Mountain, where the land is much more jagged and dead due to the mountain's presence as a formidable volcano. Being on a small "island continent" has them surrounded by water on the east, west, and north, while the southern half of the island is controlled by Krippa. The volcanic activity of Scarlet Mountain also leads to many springs and geysers, particularly in the surrounding area. this has also led to incredibly beautiful and colorful rock formations, and a very misty, humid atmosphere around these springs. Living on the humid side of the Sasabé Mountains also helps keep the humidity of the country consistent, for these tall, treacherous mountains not only keep people in or out of Krawvill, but also keep the equatorial rains from reaching their southern neighbor Krippa. History Krawvill's history was deeply rooted in traditions and isolationism, due to its geographic location as well as because of its long-time population of Shinzoka. It was first founded on the continent of Munjang-Îue, away from the other Vartiz Races. Initially they occupied the entire continent, with dense populations in the north and sparse populations in the south. However, as the Zaderic populations begun to be expelled from various countries on Tsominku, they formed the country of Krippa on the southern coast, and gradually pushed the Shinzoka back past the north face of the Sasabé Mountains, where the first Republic of Krippa was formally founded. Since then, the two nations have been at odds with one another. However, the purist Shinzoka always exile their Zaderic individuals to Krippa, due to their disdain of Zaderei. As such, these Zaderic women hold no love for their countrymen or people, and so side with their fellow Zaderei instead. Krippa does not send any form of tribute to Krawvill, although the two nations have waged war countless times. Krawvill's borders have fluctuated as a result, with the nation expanding when Krippa is a republic or a democracy; while usually losing great tracts of territory when the infamous Krippan Empire rises out of the ashes of one of its predecessors. As of The Rebirth of Krippa, Krawvill's borders briefly expanded into northwestern Krippa. However, they were soon driven out due to the fervent efforts of the warlord Liberty Tezeru Mežkiel 4, who founded the 79th Krippan Empire, which annexed all of western Krawvill, leaving the vestiges of the country as little more than a puppet state. After the eruption of the Scarlet Mountain, the 79th Krippan Empire exploited the vulnerable situation and moved in to invade what was left of Krawvill, eventually erasing it from the map entirely for the first time since the 172nd Age. While the western and eastern provinces were annexed by the Krippan Empire and thus became Krippan states, the two central provinces, after being ravished by their proximity to Scarlet Mountain, then fell to a very advanced Jalenga-created plague known as the Mejiye-Miri. Long thought to be a forever-buried secret of the Jalenga, it was unearthed and later unleashed by a woman known as Tzakni the Plaguemaster, where it devastated what few Shinzoka had survived the blast from the mountain. Demographics Apart from Kroggné, Krawvill was the least diverse nation on Mencu, being primarily inhabited almost solely with Shinzoka. Much like Kroggné, the Zaderic population was very small here, with most of them either being exiled southward or voluntarily moving there. The country's geographic and political isolation kept it from getting too many visitors, let alone tourists, and the secretive culture kept all but the most curious at bay. Despite all of this, there was a small population of Madizi in the port towns that do small amounts of trade with the Shinzoka. A few also transport Kagero-Kiza agents to the mainland of Tsominku, although despite this, there is still an overabundance of women in the country due to the Shinzoka's gender disparity. Apart from these two races, almost zero members of the other races exist in Krawvill, short of when Krippa occupies the territory. Due to much of the population practicing magic to some extent, a great many ritualists existed on Krawvill. Similarly, there were many of them that used the Rites of the Kumenza to create copies of important people that they wanted to use for one reason or another, and as such, there was a Kumenza population on Krawvill. However, almost all of these dark elves turned out very rebellious and defected to Krippa at the first possible opportunity, which meant that none of them fell victim to the Mejiye-Miri plague or the eruption of Scarlet Mountain. Religion & Culture Due to its mostly homogeneous population, the culture of Krawvill reflected Shinzoka culture. A powerful monarchy led by the Dragon King and Queen were the ones who ran the country, and while the people had some say and sway, the words of these leaders was absolute. A society steeped in tradition, they were stubborn and isolationist, and did not deal well with change to their society. Culture Krawvill's culture was one steeped in isolationism and tradition. One of the most prominent traditions that had held up over the years had been one of monogamous relationships, which, while once not something anyone worried about, became a much larger problem as the Shinzoka's gender disparity continued to worsen. Reasons such as this are part of why the Kagero-Kiza organization was founded and why it exists. After the Mejiye-Miri plague, the Lakamaté Incursion, and the glorious loss Krawvill suffered during the Three Factions War, this gender disparity worsened severely after the Krippans slew most male leaders of Krawvill and made brutal examples out of them. Krawvill was a patriarchal society that had always placed important value on male individuals, particularly as the percentage of men started to decrease. Since male Shinzoka can only be born to two Shinzoka parents, their numbers are gradually thinning. In order to prevent the Shinzoka from becoming an all-female race, there were many, both male and female, that are obsessed with racial purity, which explains some of their isolationism. They once attempted to use Kumenza to try and rectify the gender disparity, but after the resulting offspring were either female Shinzoka, female Kumenza, or male Kumenza, this idea was abandoned. Religion Since Krawvill was almost entirely comprised of Shinzoka, the national customs and religious practices Shinzoka revered the Titans (formally known as the Vartiz Pantheon), with the two Shinzoka goddesses, Gini and Kiya, serving as their patron deities. While their religion did not teach isolationism or superiority, the closeness the Krawvillzé have with dragons and the element fire play into why many Shinzoka have this mindset. As such, the Shinzoka Emblem is a popular symbol in Krawvill, both religiously and elementally. Role in the Series Because its inhabitants were isolationist and their country's laws and cultures reflected this, Krawvill's involvement in the series was generally minimal. Since Krawvill is effectively removed from the maps after The Rebirth of Krippa, it becomes little more than a name on the lips of a scarce few individuals after the aforementioned volume. The Crown of Zivia Krawvill is not seen at all in The Crown of Zivia, although it is mentioned in passing a few times. Since only two Shinzoka characters even appear in this volume, very little information about Krawvill is revealed. The Crusade of Zulera The Kagero-Kiza take a more prominent role in The Crusade of Zulera, and they drop more hints and tidbits about Krawvillzé culture. However, the country itself, as well as any Native Shinzoka, are not seen. The Shadows of Shinzoka Krawvill is visited at various points throughout The Shadows of Shinzoka, which focuses on the psychotic Kagero-Kiza agent Asami Zair Serénes, and her struggles to come to terms with a country that misused her. The Rebirth of Krippa The Rebirth of Krippa focuses on a violent war between Krawvill and Krippa, and thus Krawvill is a major focal point in this volume. It initially gains nearly half of Krippa's territory and manages to crush the Republic of Krippa, but ultimately loses more than it gained after Krippa reemerges as the 79th Krippan Empire. By the end of the book it is gone altogether, being absorbed into said empire. The Seer of Koldia With Krawvill no longer formally existing, it is little more than a dream of princess Kagero Kinzoku to restore her country to its former glory. While she is it not actively opposed by her, Kinzoku's older sister Mikoto Zaiaku has little interest in putting herself against impossible odds, especially not with the rumours of Tzakni's power floating around. See Also * Shinzoka * Kagero-Kiza * Munjang-Îue * Krippa * Scarlet Mountain * The Mainland * 79th Krippan Empire * Shinzoka Gender Disparity Category:Nations Category:Locations